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EZEKIEL 2 3
the nations and purge you of your wickedness.
16 And when I have been dishonored among the
nations because of you,* you will know that I
am the Lord.”
The LORD’s Refining Furnace
17 Then this message came to me from the
Lord: 18 “Son of man, the people of Israel are
the worthless slag that remains after silver is
smelted. They are the dross that is left over—
a useless mixture of copper, tin, iron, and lead.
19 So tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord
says: Because you are all worthless slag, I will
bring you to my crucible in Jerusalem. 20 Just
as silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin are melted
down in a furnace, I will melt you down in the
heat of my fury. 21 I will gather you together and
blow the fire of my anger upon you, 22 and you
will melt like silver in fierce heat. Then you will
know that I, the Lord, have poured out my fury
on you.’”
The Sins of Israel’s Leaders
23 Again a message came to me from the Lord:
24 “Son of man, give the people of Israel this
message: In the day of my indignation, you will
be like a polluted land, a land without rain.
25 Your princes* plot conspiracies just as lions
stalk their prey. They devour innocent people,
seizing treasures and extorting wealth. They
make many widows in the land. 26 Your priests
have violated my instructions and defiled my
holy things. They make no distinction between
what is holy and what is not. And they do not
teach my people the difference between what
is ceremonially clean and unclean. They disregard my Sabbath days so that I am dishonored
among them. 27 Your leaders are like wolves who
tear apart their victims. They actually destroy
people’s lives for money! 28 And your prophets
cover up for them by announcing false visions
and making lying predictions. They say, ‘My
message is from the Sovereign Lord,’ when
the Lord hasn’t spoken a single word to them.
29 Even common people oppress the poor, rob
the needy, and deprive foreigners of justice.
30 “I looked for someone who might rebuild
the wall of righteousness that guards the land.
I searched for someone to stand in the gap in
the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land,
but I found no one. 31 So now I will pour out my
fury on them, consuming them with the fire of
my anger. I will heap on their heads the full
penalty for all their sins. I, the Sovereign Lord,
have spoken!”
The Adultery of Two Sisters
This message came to me from the Lord:
2 “Son of man, once there were two sisters who were daughters of the same mother.
3 They became prostitutes in Egypt. Even as
young girls, they allowed men to fondle their
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breasts. 4 The older girl was named Oholah, and
her sister was Oholibah. I married them, and
they bore me sons and daughters. I am speaking of Samaria and Jerusalem, for Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem.
5 “Then Oholah lusted after other lovers instead of me, and she gave her love to the Assyrian officers. 6 They were all attractive young
men, captains and commanders dressed in
handsome blue, charioteers driving their
horses. 7 And so she prostituted herself with the
most desirable men of Assyria, worshiping their
idols* and defiling herself. 8 For when she left
Egypt, she did not leave her spirit of prostitution
behind. She was still as lewd as in her youth,
when the Egyptians slept with her, fondled her
breasts, and used her as a prostitute.
9 “And so I handed her over to her Assyrian lovers, whom she desired so much. 10 They
stripped her, took away her children as their
slaves, and then killed her. After she received
her punishment, her reputation was known to
every woman in the land.
11 “Yet even though Oholibah saw what had
happened to Oholah, her sister, she followed
right in her footsteps. And she was even more
depraved, abandoning herself to her lust and
prostitution. 12 She fawned over all the Assyrian
officers—those captains and commanders in
handsome uniforms, those charioteers driving
their horses—all of them attractive young men.
13 I saw the way she was going, defiling herself
just like her older sister.
14 “Then she carried her prostitution even
further. She fell in love with pictures that were
painted on a wall—pictures of Babylonian* military officers, outfitted in striking red uniforms.
15 Handsome belts encircled their waists, and
flowing turbans crowned their heads. They
were dressed like chariot officers from the land
of Babylonia.* 16 When she saw these paintings,
she longed to give herself to them, so she sent
messengers to Babylonia to invite them to come
to her. 17 So they came and committed adultery
with her, defiling her in the bed of love. After
being defiled, however, she rejected them in
disgust.
18 “In the same way, I became disgusted with
Oholibah and rejected her, just as I had rejected
her sister, because she flaunted herself before
them and gave herself to satisfy their lusts. 19 Yet
she turned to even greater prostitution, remembering her youth when she was a prostitute in
Egypt. 20 She lusted after lovers with genitals as
large as a donkey’s and emissions like those of
a horse. 21 And so, Oholibah, you relived your
22:16 As in one Hebrew manuscript and Greek and Syriac
versions; Masoretic Text reads when you have been dishonored
among the nations. 22:25 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads
prophets. 23:7 The Hebrew term (literally round things)
probably alludes to dung; also in 23:30, 37, 39, 49. 23:14 Or
Chaldean. 23:15 Or Chaldea; also in 23:16.